A variety of thermal protection systems, heat shields used in aviation and space applications, and heat resistant materials are known. A heat shield for a space reentry vehicle represents one particularly rigorous application for heat resistant material and a thermal protection system, due to the extremely high temperature and extended period of time during which the reentry vehicle is exposed to the high temperature. The reentry capsules for the Apollo space missions utilized such heat shields, the Space Shuttle utilizes thousands of heat resistant ceramic tiles for its thermal protection system, and the reentry capsule for the Crew Exploration Vehicle to be deployed in the future will employ such a thermal protection system.
During reentry from space, a capsule ballistically travels through the atmosphere with its blunt lower surface aligned as the leading section, as depicted in FIG. 1. The lower surface of the spacecraft 100 is protected by a heat shield 102, which absorbs the thermal energy generated during deceleration of the spacecraft 100. Traditionally, heat shields have been formed from an ablator material in a one-piece composite composition that covered the protected surface. The Apollo capsules, for example, used a honeycomb core filled with an ablative material. It may be desirable to instead use an ablative heat shield configuration that includes a plurality of cooperating heat shield panels or elements that are mated together and attached to the surface to be protected.